TIMERGARA: Unknown assailants gunned down former PML-N MPA Malik Hasham Khan, his uncle Malik Ajab Khan and a friend, Malik Zarin Bakht, at Shah Alam area of Adenzai in the limits of Ouch police station here on Thursday. They all belong to the influential Khan family of Ouch.

Police and hospital sources confirmed the deaths, saying the three were on way to Shah Alam Baba to offer their condolences on the death of a political worker when unknown assailants ambushed their car at Tazagram Khwar.

As a result, Malik Hasham Khan, Malik Ajab Khan and Malik Zarin Bakht were killed on the spot while their driver was injured. The bodies and injured driver were first taken to the Gulabad hospital and then to the tehsil headquarters hospital, Chakdara.

The police said that 16 empty bullet shells of 9mm pistol were recovered from the site of the incident. The Ouch police registered the case and have started investigations.

According to the residents, one of the grandsons of Ajab Khan had allegedly stabbed to death a man hailing from Asbanr area about two months ago. They said that that could be the cause of the Thursday`s attack.

Hasham Khan was member of the provincial assembly in the Mir Afzal Khan-led PML-N government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He was elected MPA on the ticket of PML-N from Lower Dir in 1992 general elections.

However, about a year ago Hashim Khan had joined JUI-F and he was considered a close aide of Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan, the JUI-F provincial chief. The news of his killing quickly spread in parts of Lower Dir and political workers tried to get information about the incident.-Correspondent